Letter from Kikuyu to Stu

Stu sent this excerpt from and email he received from a theology
student at a university in Karen -- a community very close to where we
will be staying.

We have just finished the second day of three days of mass protests called by the ODM party to protest the elections. The clashes have been tagged as “tribal”. Kalinjins, Luos, and Maasai have been attacking Kikuyu and Kiisi or vice versa, but the underlying causes of this tragedy are economic. The gap between the rich and poor in Kenya is now the 4th largest in the world, and is growing rapidly. Thousands of unemployed youth have been growing more desperate and frustrated. The ODM candidate, Railla, raised very high expectations that he would create huge numbers of jobs if elected, and frustration exploded into violence when Kibaki was declared the winner. The Kikuyu have been relatively industrious and successful, and have owned many of the farms and businesses throughout the country. This has brought envy and resentment among the poor, and the “election” of a Kikuyu president was the trigger that allowed years of built up desperation to erupt in violence against those who were viewed as the “haves”. The demonstrations have been mainly in ODM strongholds like Kisumu, Eldoret, and the slums of Nairobi. They look horrendous on CNN, but are getting smaller and more localized each day. It is almost as if there are two Kenyas, with the more affluent neighborhoods of Nairobi
and much of the rest of the country experiencing relatively peace, and the slums and ODM controlled areas experiencing continuing senseless violence.

Unfortunately, everyone is suffering. The small markets and kiosks in
the slums have been destroyed. Businesses in downtown Nairobi are
forced to close when police move in to block demonstrations. Even
people who have money can’t find food or fuel to buy in the poorer
neighborhoods. Prices of basic commodities have risen rapidly in the
slums and conflict areas. The Shilling has fallen about 10% against
the dollar over the last few days, so the buying power of people’s
money has also shrunk. Temporary day work that most of the slum
dwellers relied on to earn enough to survive has dried up, and incomes
have disappeared. The attackers are sometimes in worse shape than the
neighbors who were driven out. The displaced person camp in Jamhuri
Park near the Kibera slum has a population of around 6000 during the
day, when the goodies are being distributed by churches and aid
organizations, but it drops to 1200 when those who have not really
lost their slum dwellings go home for the night. Our church, Nairobi
Chapel, adjoins the camp and many of our members are assisting with
food and clothing collection , sorting and distribution.

The merchants displaced in Western Kenya include almost all of the
distributors of seeds, fertilizer and other agricultural inputs.
Planting should be done next month before the long rains come at the
end of February. The displaced merchants are afraid to go back and try
to make peace with their neighbors until the politicians at the top
have made peace with each other. Even if the farmers go back to their
farms, it is highly likely that there will be a significant shortfall
in acreage planted with a corresponding disastrous drop in the
harvest. Western Kenya is the bread basket of East Africa, and the
threat of famine in the region is very real.

People are becoming more and more aware that this dispute is not about
preserving democracy or people’s rights. It is a brutal power struggle
to satisfy massive egos and acquire access to the public till. The
leaders of this country have dug in their heals and are refusing to
even talk with each other. Neither side shows any sign of being
willing to sacrifice personal power and gain for the good of the
country. More and more Kenyans are becoming impatient with the lack of any attempt to resolve the deadlock. There was a demonstration in
Dagoretti today that did not support either candidate, but simply
demanded peace and dialogue. We will see more of this in the future
because most Kenyans want to end the violence and get back to work.